#16 - 1st Round - Houston Travis Johnson, DT Florida State

[Hostile]

Trade with Houston

Saints select...Travis Johnson, DT Florida State.

[31hammer]

Rodgers QB. Why not? they are fed up with Brooks

[NicholasD]

Alex Barron or Shaun Cody.

[InmanRoshi]

Marcus Spears :(

[Shotgun Dave]

Rodgers QB. Why not? they are fed up with Brooks

No, no. Houston traded BACK with NO. It's Houston's pick now.

Houston takes Alex Barron.

[sybarite]

Barron.

[Woods]

No, no. Houston traded BACK with NO. It's Houston's pick now.

Houston takes Alex Barron.

Yes, especially now that Ware and Merriman are both gone. I think they were hoping for a pass rushing OLB type.

[Shotgun Dave]

Houston may opt to trade out and NOT take an OT but if they wait much longer David Carr will be beaten to a pulp and they'll have to take a new QB anyway.

[Shotgun Dave]

No, no. Houston traded BACK with NO. It's Houston's pick now.

Houston takes Alex Barron.

Wow! That really surprises me. Travis Johnson. I guess they don't care if Carr gets killed on the field or not.

[MichaelWinicki]

A horrible reach. Just awful.

[Nors]

Crap -

We needed both Travis Johnson and Spears available!
He was my 3-4 DE bail out and Casserly agreed.

Spears, Pollack, Clayton,

Barron?

This is our trade out Oppty.....at #20

[Nors]

A horrible reach. Just awful.

Solid pick - kid carries top 20 grade. I bet we would have taken him at #20.

[Juke99]

Travis Johnson, DT, Florida State
Height: 6:03.7 Weight: 290


AP
Travis Johnson

Overview: Travis Johnson was regarded by many as the best defensive line prospect in the country after his senior year at Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Ca.) High. He was a unanimous All-American choice as he recorded 104 tackles with 17 sacks, 32 stops for losses, eight blocked kicks on defense and also rushed for six touchdowns as a short-yardage fullback in 1999. He was named by Prep Star as the top defensive lineman in the country and the second-best overall prospect in the West. Johnson finished his prep career as the school's record holder for sacks (40), tackles for loss (77), forced fumbles (14) and blocked punts (5). Johnson was a reserve nose guard for the first two games of the 2000 campaign at Florida State, but a neck injury forced him to the sidelines for the rest of the year, causing a medical redshirt. He finished the year with eight tackles and a 9-yard sack. Travis was a Freshman All-American pick by The Sporting News in 2001, after he totaled 31 tackles (12 solo) with a pair of sacks and eight stops behind the line of scrimmage as a reserve nose guard. He started eight of fourteen games in 2002, totaling a career-high 50 tackles (21 solo), adding four sacks, 13.5 stops for losses, three forced fumbles and nine quarterback pressures from the nose guard position. Off-field troubles occurred prior to the 2003 season, as he was arrested in April and charged with sexual assault of a female student. A jury acquitted him after it was revealed that he had previous consensual relations with the woman. He was also trying to recover from January right shoulder surgery, forcing him to miss preseason drills. Johnson played in 13 games that year, but saw only reserve action. Travis finished 2003 with 36 tackles (17 solo), an assisted sack, three stops behind the line of scrimmage and eight pressures. He returned to the football field in 2004 with renewed vigor. He was placed on medication prior to 2004 to help him battle attention deficit disorder and his performance drastically improved. Johnson garnered ESPN All-American honors and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team, as he started all year at left defensive tackle, serving as defensive captain. He led a unit that led the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 69 yards per game during the regular season. He collected 50 tackles (22 solo) with 2.5 sacks, a career-high 17.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, three pass breakups and twelve pressures. For his career, Travis registered 175 tackles (76 solo) with 10 sacks for minus-63 yards, 43.5 stops for losses of 127 yards, 31 quarterback pressures, four fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles and three pass deflections while starting 21 of 51 games. Only Ron Simmons (44, 1977-80) and Darnell Dockett (65, 2000-03) had more stops for losses in a career at Florida State that Travis' 43.5.

Analysis: Positives According to Johnson's coaches, the outgoing player is finally living up to his press clippings. He shows very active hands and excellent explosion coming off the snap. He is a quick twitch type than gets into the offensive lineman quickly, generating good upper body power behind his hand punch to gain separation. In the past, he showed marginal field instincts, but possibly due to the medication, Travis was able to quickly read and react to the plays, especially showing alertness diagnosing the screen. He is best when defending vs. the run, as Travis shows a sudden burst off the snap and enough explosion to wrap and secure ball carriers with authority. He uses his hands effectively to split double teams and has the lower body strength to push the pocket. Johnson showed in 2004 that he can play with leverage and does a good job of avoiding being reached. He penetrates or inverts to disrupt and has the hand usage to stack and control. He has a good anchor to maintain position vs. the larger offensive linemen and uses his hands quickly to shed and disengage. Johnson shows urgency penetrating the gaps, as he learned to use his upper body power when coming off the edge to collapse the blocker's shoulder and get a good push on the bull rush. His hand punch will consistently jar the offensive lineman and in the short area, he shows suddenness to close ground on the quarterback. Johnson moves well in the short area, but when he gets too high in his stance, he fails to sink his hips properly to gain momentum when changing direction. When he does not play at a low pad level, blockers are able to lock him up and he will struggle to shed. He really applies more pressure when collapsing the pocket than register sacks, but he is an athletic mover with quick spin, club, and swim moves (best when striking low, as he can get better hip snap to invert the pocket). His timed speed is not that great, but he does show above average quickness in his initial burst. Johnson has developed a very good feel for the play and can be very disruptive when he stays at a low pad level. He worked hard in the 2004 offseason to add strength and did a very good job in 2004 to hold his ground at the point of attack. He is now capable of making plays from the backside and plays flat down the line, showing the acceleration to catch the ball carrier from behind. While he did not do it in the past, Travis showed marked improvement reading blocks, feeling pressure and redirecting to the play. He has become a force from the offside and became a challenge for offensive linemen as he showed a more physical nature in his play. He won't maul a lineman, but has developed capable hands (wax on, wax off moves) with a quick swim to gain penetration. He does a good job of working the side of an offensive guard to get into the backfield and his improved hand strength is evident in his rip moves. His versatility (can play zero, two- or three-tech), renewed dedication, sudden explosion and active hands made him the most disruptive force in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004. It is my belief that he will go much higher in the draft than my grade here indicates. Based on 2004 performances, he is well on his way to living up to the potential he showed in high school. Some teams might be concerned about the lack of consistency he showed during his first four years with the FSU program. But, if he can continue to play at the level he displayed as a senior, some organization will benefit greatly if he can stay the course he showed in 2004.

Negatives

Agility tests: 4.9 in the 40-yard dash. ... 363-pound bench press. ... 429-pound squat. ... 304-pound power clean. ... 29.5-inch vertical jump. ... 32 -inch arm length. ... 9 5/8-inch hands. ... Right-handed. ... 16/21 Wonderlic score.

High school: Attended Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Ca.) High, playing football for coach Kevin Rooney. ... Earned Parade, Prep Star, Football News and USA Today All-American first-team honors. ... Named to Prep Star's 1999 Top 100 (top-rated defensive linemen) Dream Team. ... Listed as the second-best prospect in the West Region by Prep Star. ... Recorded 104 tackles, 32 stops for losses and 17 sacks as a senior, as well as eight blocked kicks (4 punts, 2 FG's and 2 PAT's). ... One of four Parade All-Americans in the Florida State signing class. ... Rushed for six touchdowns in short yardage situations in 1999. ... Set a school record for career sacks (40), tackles for loss (77), forced fumbles (14) and blocked punts (5).

Personal: Social Science major. ... One of five Seminoles who hail from the state of California (Lorenzo Booker, Chris Rix, Kenny O'Neal and Dominic Robinson are the others). ... Born 4/26/82. ... Resides in Sherman Oaks, California.

[Woods]

Solid pick - kid carries top 20 grade. I bet we would have taken him at #20.

Goss had him at 27, Huddle at 24.